Five members of women’s track & field prepare for NCAA Division III Championships

Over the weekend, Rowan geared up for the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Championships.

And they showed out.

The Profs broke two meet records and a school record en route to their seventh-place finish.

At the top of the list is none other than senior Aspen McMillan. Her time of 8.75 in the 60 meter hurdles was first, setting a season record. She also broke the meet record of 8.80 that she set the day before in prelims.

Next up for McMillan was the NCAA Division III Championships, where she ranks third in the event.

“I just feel like I have a lot to prove to myself,” McMillan said.

Last year, McMillan finished second with a time of 8.72.

The 4×200 meter relay came in first and set a new meet record with a time of 1:44.67.

Sophomore Olivia Scattergood, who seemed to break her own records week in and week out, went and did just that. She set a distance of 47′ 6.25″ (14.48 m) in the weight throw, passing her previous record of 46′ 11″ (14.32 m).

Four other Profs will be meeting McMillan at the NCAA DIII Championships. Junior Darielle Cross will be joining her in the 60 meter hurdles, senior Michele Macauley will represent the long jump, junior Angel Rowe will compete in the triple jump and sophomore Hannah Vendetta will run the mile.

Macauley found a spot in the long jump after a 18′ 10″ (5.74 m) jump at the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships placed her sixth in the national rank. Her victory in the meet would be coupled with the meet’s Most Outstanding Athlete award.

If you were to tell head coach Derick “Ringo” Adamson weeks ago that Macauley would be readying up for this meet, he’d be shocked.

“If you had looked me in the eye three weeks ago and said ‘Oh, she’s gonna get on the NCAA list,’ much less sixth, I’d go ‘get outta here.'”

Well, Ringo, she’s there.

Rowe is making her third straight appearance after coming in 10th her first year and 12th last season. Her jump of 38′ 7.75″ (11.78 m) gave her a first-place finish at the NJAC Championships and secured the 12th spot in the national rankings. The junior’s experience will be a key part of her performance to come.

Cross had her best time at the Armory Last Chance, compiling a 8.93. This will be her first time at the NCAA DIII Championships in the indoor portion of the season. Last year, Cross competed in the 100 meter hurdles and was a part of the 4×100 meter relay team at the event for the outdoor season.

Vendetta is the last to round up the team’s qualifiers. She was able to sneak in with the 18th seed after a time of 5:07.23 at the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Championships.

Before the race, coaches were skeptical as to whether she should retract from the race because of the workload of the day. Ringo had no doubt.

“I’m not saying they’re international competitors, but it’s how we train and how we coach,” he said.

Vendetta ended up placing third in the meet and 45th nationally that night. The next morning, because of track conversions and finalizing results, she advanced to 18th and secure a spot in the national meet.

“Just imagine,” Adamson said, referring to the spot Vendetta would be in if she had not competed in the season’s final meet.

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